[ Being a County or State Administrator is fun and rewarding. If you have an interest in the history of Oklahoma and the genealogy of it's residents please consider it. If you think "there is no way I can do this" there are many people ready, willing and able to help you. It's not near as difficult as you might think. ]

History

After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, including present Oklahoma, between the 1820s and 1850s American explorers, traders, and military passed through the region. Those who followed the Canadian River across present Cleveland County included the Long-Bell Expedition, the Dodge-Leavenworth Expedition, Nathan Boone, and Josiah Gregg. In 1835 near present Lexington Maj. Richard Mason negotiated peace between the Plains tribes, the Osage, and the Five Civilized Nations at Camp Mason or New Camp Holmes (not to be confused with Fort Holmes or Old Camp Mason, located approximately fifty miles to the east). The site was abandoned in August 1835. However, Auguste P. Chouteau, who had served as an interpreter, established a trading post nearby.
In 1818 the Quapaw ceded the area south of the Arkansas and Canadian rivers in present Oklahoma. During the late 1820s and the 1830s the Creek and Seminole were removed from the southeastern part of the United States to the ceded area. In 1856 an agreement between the two tribes created a Seminole Nation with separate land for them west of the Creek Nation. During the Civil War the Seminole and Creek supported the Confederacy and as a result lost land in the Reconstruction Treaty of 1866. This left an area that became known as the Unassigned Lands, which would be opened to non-Indian settlers on April 22, 1889.
After the passage of the Organic Act on May 2, 1890, Cleveland County was organized as County Three. Norman was selected as the county seat. In 1891, following the Sac and Fox Opening, a strip of land six miles wide and thirty-one miles long was added to the eastern part of Cleveland County. For a short time Cleveland County was also known as Little River County. At an election on August 5, 1890, the majority of the voters selected Cleveland (in honor of Pres. Grover Cleveland) over the other choice of Lincoln.

The Oklahoma Genealogical Society maintains a library and archives that the public is allowed to visit. The Library and Archives contains over 62,000 volumes with emphasis on Oklahoma, Native American, and western history. In addition to these materials -- many of which are rare and out-of-print -- the library also houses a number of special collections.